Americase to spotlight lithium battery safety and compliance at LithiumSAFE 2026

Americase International will send experts from its consulting and compliance teams to LithiumSAFE Workshop 2026 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Sept. 15–16. The sessions will focus on battery transport rules, DDR handling and how safety practices must keep pace as lithium-ion use expands in vehicles, energy storage and data centers.

Why it matters: - Lithium-ion battery adoption is accelerating across transportation, energy storage and data center markets. - Safety and regulatory compliance are getting harder as battery formats, shipment volumes and end-of-life handling requirements expand. - FAA data show 93 lithium battery-related events involving smoke, fire or extreme heat aboard aircraft in 2025, up from 89 in 2024. - The rise in incidents underscores why classification, packaging and documentation decisions now affect both safety and commercial speed.

What happened: - Americase International announced that experts from Americase International and HazMat Safety Consulting will present and join an expert panel at LithiumSAFE Workshop 2026. - The workshop runs Sept. 15–16 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the Alabama Mobility & Power Center, 28 Kirkbride Lane. - LithiumSAFE is co-hosted by the Soteria Battery Innovation Group and the Alabama Mobility & Power Center. - Mike Pagel will present “Regulatory Integration as a Competitive Advantage: Navigating UN/DOT/IATA Compliance and DDR Shipping Optimization Across the Battery Value Chain” on Sept. 16 from 12:30–1:00 p.m. in Track 3. - John Redman will join a Track 4 panel on Sept. 16 from 2:20–3:00 p.m. with Kevin Fok of LG Energy Solution Vertech, Jody Leber of CSA Group and Dalan Zartman of the Energy Security Agency.

The details: - Pagel’s session will cover how to build UN 38.3, DOT, IATA and DDR battery requirements into product development, supply chain design and commercialization. - The presentation will address lithium battery classification and hazard determination. - It will also cover compliant packaging selection for shipping and storage. - Other topics include documentation requirements and special permit utilization. - The session will include cost optimization strategies for dangerous goods shipping programs. - Pagel will also cover containment and packaging considerations across manufacturing, transportation, end-of-life and DDR handling. - Redman’s panel will examine how battery safety practices must evolve as electric vehicle, energy storage and data center markets scale. - Pagel is a senior consultant at HazMat Safety Consulting and specializes in lithium battery regulations across IATA, IMDG, 49 CFR, ADR and TDGR frameworks. - Redman has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in advanced manufacturing and hazardous materials compliance. - Redman previously served in compliance leadership roles at General Motors and Toyota Motor North America. - Redman has also served on COSTHA and PRBA boards and as a delegate to the U.N. Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. - Redman also participated in Hawaii’s Act 209 lithium-battery working group.

Between the lines: - The event reflects a broader industry shift: lithium battery safety is moving earlier in the product lifecycle, not just into shipping and disposal. - Pagel’s framing suggests compliance is becoming a design-and-commercialization issue, not only a logistics issue. - Redman’s panel topic points to a gap between how fast battery markets are scaling and how quickly safety practices are adapting. - Americase is positioning its consulting and testing expertise around the full battery lifecycle, including transport, storage and DDR handling.

What's next: - LithiumSAFE attendees will hear practical guidance on compliance, packaging and shipping strategy during the Sept. 16 sessions. - Event registration is available at registration page. - More information about Americase’s participation is available on the company’s event page.

The bottom line: - As lithium battery markets scale, compliance and safety are becoming core product and supply chain issues, not back-end paperwork.